The Matching Ceremony
by Roxy Rosee
Summary: The world Daryl lived in had True Love down to a science. By DNA analysis alone, the federal government could find you your perfect match, the person who would compliment you in every way and make you complete. Millions had been ecstatic with the discovery: No more guesswork, and no more loneliness. But Daryl was not one of those millions.


A lot of things about Daryl's situation were unusual. He was strapped, face-down, bent over and naked, to a clear, plexiglass table. His wrists were bound to either corner by some kind of silky, fiber-less rope that refused to bite into his skin no matter how hard he tugged. And there were two dried specs of blood on his neck from where the syringe had gone in the first time, and then, when he'd continued to resist, the second.

The world Daryl lived in had True Love down to a science. By DNA analysis alone, the federal government could find you your perfect match, the person who would compliment you in every way and make you complete. Millions had been ecstatic with the discovery: No more guesswork, and no more loneliness. But Daryl was not one of those millions.

The thing was, Daryl had seen how wrong those True Love matches could go. His parents had been matched. And Daryl had to admit that as far as complimentary personalities went, his parents were perfect for each other. They both had a pension for drinking until they blacked out, drinking whatever was available, drinking until it hurt. Neither of them could express any kind of emotion that wasn't depression, anger, or utter indifference. And in perfect counterpart to Daryl's father's malicious, hateful, and dominant ways, was his mother's submissive and timid nature.

He beat her ruthlessly, because some part of his DNA had been broken, and some past experience had latched on to that distorted chain and made him the horrible man he was. And Daryl's mother took it like she believed she deserved it, because even before the day she met Will Dixon, the bits and pieces that made her whole had predisposed her to accept every bit of his violence with open arms.

So when Daryl had turned eighteen, and his Matching Ceremony had rolled around, he'd fought tooth and nail to get out of it. Of course, that itself was both illegal and impossible. With the world population in steady decline and entire cities crumbling without the human workforce necessary to uphold them, the Matching Ceremony had become a requirement twenty years prior.

You'd go in for preliminary blood tests, then a week later, be shuffled into a sterile white room to meet your True Love. These days, before being shoved into that room, you'd be stuck with a needle containing a cocktail of hormones. The hormones would simulate the rush of dopamine and oxytocin that scientists had discovered to be linked to feelings of affection. Men would receive a serum that had all their blood pumping south, and women a pill that increased their arousal. Then, their coupling would be monitored by men and women in lab coats hidden behind cameras and one-way mirrors.

And if you didn't want to fuck some stranger against your will? Well if one half of the match pair resisted, and the other didn't, then the resisting individual would be strapped down like Daryl was now. If both resisted? Execution. The public kind.

So Daryl's situation was unusual, because despite the threat of imminent death, he still refused to cooperate. It was also unusual because he'd been matched with not one person, but two. Two men to be exact.

And he couldn't, not him, no, no, no-

It had taken four men to cart him off to the white room where he was now bound, open and vulnerable and on fucking display. Same sex coupling was just as mandatory as the rest of it, both in honor of fairness, and because the crime rate among matched citizens was just about zero. No amount of begging had convinced the men holding him to let him go.

When the door opened, and two sets of bare footsteps padded into the room, Daryl started to shake uncontrollably. The door slammed shut again as soon as they were inside, and Daryl couldn't see them, couldn't protect himself, and couldn't quite decide if he'd rather they protest too, and all three of them go to the slaughter.

Daryl heard the footsteps quicken when they spotted him. They rushed towards him and Daryl shook all the harder, balling his hands into fists and hoping that maybe they'd be quick. But then, the men did the unexpected.

One of them slammed his hand against the wall, then shouted, "What the fuck is wrong with you people? Get in here and untie him!"

He had the kind of drawl Daryl recognized. Not local, but certainly from Georgia. And while he continued to shout orders at the camera, Daryl felt the air shift as the other man came to a halt directly behind him. The possibility of what that man could do to him had Daryl's chest heaving with silent sobs. He turned his forehead against the tabletop and waited, bone-still, for it to start.

"Jesus," came the muted whisper from behind him. And then a warm hand connected, feather soft, with the space in between Daryl's shoulder blades. Fingers traced their way down one of the longest, and thickest of his scars, and Daryl bucked against his restraints.

"No, no," Daryl sensation of being hard and wanting physically, yet completely terrified, was wrecking him. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he couldn't lift a hand to wipe them away. The hand on his back disappeared.

"Hey, hey," the second man said.

He moved until he was by Daryl's head, and the younger Dixon had a brief glance of his long, hard cock before the man was crouched in front of him.

"Hey, we're not gonna hurt you. No one's gonna hurt you," the man said. He had bright blue eyes, nearly the same shade as Daryl's own, and curly hair. The man's hand went to Daryl's head, of all places, and pet his hair gently. "We won't hurt you, okay? I swear it."

The man was beautiful. He was just about everything Daryl had never let himself want. Everything he'd known the blood tests would show that he needed. Still, Daryl couldn't believe him. He knew how this went.

That gentle hand never left him, but the man turned his head and hissed, "Shane!"

Then, the first man came into Daryl's field of vision from the waist down. He was every bit as hard as his friend.

"No. I ain't doing this Rick, I can't," Shane said, "Fuck this. They need to get their asses in here and untie him."

"They won't," Rick replied simply, "You know they won't. So we've got a choice to make."

"That's not a choice." The man crouched down abruptly, and Daryl could finally make out his dark hair and darker eyes. He was tan too, and more muscular than his friend. And he was looking Daryl right in the eye. "What's your name?"

"D- Daryl," he croaked out.

Shane reached out to him slowly, with a steady hand, and ran one finger lightly over the specs of blood at the junction of his neck and shoulders.

"They gave you more than one shot?" Shane asked. "What the fuck?"

"Was...resistin'," Daryl rasped out. His voice was shaky and inconsistent, even to his own ears.

"Doesn't give them the right," Shane growled. Daryl watched him stroke his way down Rick's arm in a way that screamed familiarity. "We can't do this, man. I can't. I know you can't."

Rick didn't have time to answer before Daryl bit out, "If ya don't, they'll kill us."

"We know," Rick said. "But you don't deserve that."

Daryl shook his head as well as he could. "Can't have you two dyin' for me. M'not worth it. And I don't want your lives on my hands."

"So what's the alternative?" Shane asked.

Daryl let out a shuddering breath. "Jus'...just do it."

"Daryl…"

"You have to," Daryl said, "Just do it fast. Try not to rip nothin'. S'better than dyin'..."

"That's not the same as wanting it," Rick said firmly.

"I wanna walk out of here at the end of the day with my fuckin' life," Daryl spat. Then it a quieter voice, "Don't make me beg you, alright? Just...get it over with."

Shane and Rick looked at each other for a few seconds, and a silent conversation passed between them. Then, Rick's lips met the back of Daryl's neck at the same time Shane slid across the floor to situate himself behind Daryl's body.

"What- what are you- ?" Daryl gasped out, when Shane leaned forward to swallow as much of his cock as he could take while Rick nibbled his way down Daryl's spine. His body reacted instantly, naturally, and he rocked against Shane's mouth in tiny, desperate little movements.

"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right," Rick said. "Sure as hell not gonna hurt you, no matter what you say." He knelt down on the floor, and Shane shifted so he was under the table and between Daryl's legs, then took the bound man deeper. "And if they gave you two of those fuckin' shots, then you'll need to get off at least twice. Be better if we went for three."

Shane hummed around Daryl's length, and Daryl moaned loudly, straining to see what they were doing. From behind him, Rick pulled Daryl's legs apart slowly, then dipped his head to pull one of his low-hanging balls into his mouth.

"Ah, Christ," Daryl panted. His knuckles went white as he gripped the edge of the table as hard as he could. He'd never been touched by anyone before, much less like this, and Daryl decided right then and there that if he had to do this, he may as well let himself enjoy it.

Their mouths were so warm and wet around him, pushing him towards everything his body needed. Daryl couldn't help but whimper as his hips jumped of their own accord, pressing further into Shane's hot mouth. Two different hands petted him from his hip to his waist, squeezing in a way that Daryl couldn't deny was soothing. It had been hours since they'd given him the shots, and his body felt like it might snap from the slightest stimulation.

"That's it," Rick pulled off to say, "Just give us one, huh? It'll take the edge off."

Daryl's legs trembled as Shane's mouth bobbed fast and hard over his length. He was desperate to watch it happen, to reach down and thread his fingers into Shane's hair and hold on for the ride. For his first time, that extra bit of contact could have made it all the sweeter. But Daryl also recognized that his current circumstances were probably better. At least tied down, he couldn't chicken out at the last minute, or get too wrapped up in his thoughts.

The tip of his cock hit the back of Shane's throat, and Daryl shuddered violently against the table.

"Fuck," Daryl groaned, "Oh, fuck. Ah…"

He was close, so fucking close and the two men who'd been strangers just minutes earlier knew it. They wanted him to come, kept coaxing him towards it with soft words and gentle touches that made his toes curl. And Daryl may not have had any experience to speak of, but he knew enough about his own body to know he wouldn't be able to hold back.

"There you go, sweetheart," Rick murmured. "C'mon, now. Down his throat."

"Ahh...ah, ah fuck!"

Daryl's back arched, his stomach cramped, and before he could grunt out any semblance of a warning he was coming harder than he ever had in his life, cock twitching in Shane's willing mouth. Shane lapped at him gently and suckled for every last drop, until Daryl cried out from overstimulation, whimpering pleas of, "no more, can't take no more." He was barely conscious of it when a few minutes later, Shane released him and knee-walked around the table until he could see Daryl's face.

Eyes closed and panting hard, Daryl didn't flinch when Shane stroked his fingers down the side of his face. It took him several seconds longer than it should have to realize that Shane was waiting for him to open his eyes.

When he did, Shane asked, "You okay?"

Daryl nodded as best as he could. "Yeah."

Shane smiled at him softly, then leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on Daryl's forehead. When he pulled back, Daryl was frowning at him.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Well I wanted to kiss you on the lips, but it'd be kinda difficult from this angle."

Daryl flushed. "Not that. Why'd you...why'd you both…" he sucked in a shuddering breath, "Coulda just done it. Ain't like I got much of a say in the matter." He looked pointedly to his wrist, still tied to the table, and Shane sighed.

"I'd tell you again that we don't wanna hurt you, but I'm guessing you wouldn't believe us, huh?" Shane murmured. "How many times do we have to make you come to make you see it? We're not gonna hurt you, man, we don't want to."

"Why?" Daryl asked. "Wouldn't matter much if you did, right? You don't know me."

"But we want to know you," Rick said, "Shane and me, we've known each other our whole lives. Loved each other almost as long. And when we got matched together, we were ecstatic. But then they told us that we were missing our third, the other piece of who we're supposed to be."

"Was hard to believe at first. Been just the two of us for so long. But I'm starting to think that they were right," Shane said. He held Daryl's eye pointedly. "How 'bout you?"

"I don't know," Daryl whispered.

Shane appraised him, "Did you think you'd get matched with a girl?"

"No," Daryl admitted, "Not really. Kinda hoped I wouldn't get matched with anybody."

"You'd really want that?" Rick asked him. "You wouldn't be lonely?"

Daryl tried to shrug, but his restraints prevented it. So he mumbled, "Safer."

He watched Rick and Shane share another indecipherable look. Then, Rick's hand went to Daryl's hair, and he said, "You're safe with us. We can promise you that. And I think we're both willing to wait however long it takes for you to believe it."

God, Daryl wanted to believe them. Desperately. He wanted to believe that there were two men in the world who wouldn't want to hurt him, even when presented with the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Should probably get on with it," Daryl said, "They won't let us out of here 'til it's done."

Rick made a low, disapproving sound from deep in his chest and moved back behind Daryl's body.

"We're not gonna just get on with it," Shane growled. Then in a quieter voice, right next to Daryl's ear, "We're gonna make it good for you. Let us make you feel good, darlin'. Show you how good it can be."

Daryl felt Rick spread his cheeks apart from behind, and he instinctively tried to buck away from him.

"Shh," Shane soothed, one hand on his lower back. "Rick's real good at this, darlin'. You're gonna like it. And I figured since I got to have you in my mouth, the least I could do was let him have at that pretty hole. 'Specially since he's got a preference for it."

Daryl stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Dontcha...dontcha need lube? I can't-"

"Woah, no one's doing that yet," Shane murmured as soon as he caught on to Daryl's line of thinking. "This is just gonna be his mouth."

To illustrate Shane's words, Rick picked that moment to close the distance between himself and Daryl, and lick a long stripe over his untouched hole. Daryl jolted against the table, letting out a high-pitched, startled sound when Rick did it again, then over and over until Daryl couldn't quite breathe properly. He felt Rick trace over the rim slowly, sending nerves alight that Daryl hadn't known existed. All at once, or at least it felt that way, Daryl was leaking onto the ground at every flick of the blue-eyed man's tongue.

"Never touched yourself there?" Shane asked him.

And even though Daryl figured the answer was clear, he let out a breathy, "No."

Shane smiled at him. "You're a natural, darlin'. I know it's new, but just go with the feeling. Your body wants it, huh? I bet you want it too. Is that right, Daryl? Do you like it?"

The warm, strong muscle of Rick's tongue dipped into Daryl's ass for the first time, and it sent the bound man up onto his tip toes. His cock twitched hard, and precum dripped down the length of it.

"Yes," Daryl moaned.

And then Rick's tongue was inside him, wriggling in and out in a filthy French kiss, and Daryl had never felt anything like it. His balls drew up tight against his body, and for the first time, he moaned Rick's name.

"Rick, god…"

Rick stopped what he was doing, pulling back to kiss at Daryl's inner thigh. "Fuck, that sounds good out of your mouth," Rick groaned. Daryl let out a needy whine and begged Shane with his eyes.

"Tell him what you want," Shane urged him, "He'll give it to you. Just gotta tell him, first."

Daryl's cheeks were lit up as red as they would go when he rasped, "Don't stop, Rick. Please."

Rick and Shane shared another heated look. But this time, at least, Daryl could decipher the pure, unadulterated want there. He'd never been wanted like that before. Not even in the most simplistic way, let alone the way Rick and Shane seemed to want him now. His chest expanded painfully.

And then Rick's mouth was on him, all but fucking him with his tongue and Daryl could only moan and writhe against the table. Shane smacked wet kisses across his shoulders and his neck, grazing his lips over scarred skin and flawless spans of bronze like he didn't much see the difference between them. Daryl's cock twitched again where it hung, hard enough to startle another moan from his bite-reddened lips.

"God, fuck me," Daryl groaned. And maybe it surprised him just how easily the words slipped off his tongue, but they were true, and he wouldn't take them back. "Please, I wantcha. Wantcha both. C'mon."

Something blunt pressed against Daryl from behind. He'd only just registered that it was a finger before the digit was sliding into him with ease, hooking expertly, and pressing to some spot inside of him that made Daryl's entire body convulse.

"Ahh!"

Daryl couldn't get out a single word before he was coming hard. He ground himself blindly back against Rick's hand as his cock twitched and pulsed untouched. And Rick milked him for every last drop, until he could hardly take it, until he threw his head back with a breathless cry and panted Rick's name.

"So good," Rick murmured, moving around Daryl's body to kiss softly at his knuckles. "Doin' so good for us, Daryl. Letting us take care of you."

Distantly, or so it seemed, Shane spoke up to the cameras still pointed at their sweaty forms.

"Untie him," Shane said, calmer this time. "We'll do it, but you've gotta untie him."

"He isn't going to fight us," Rick said, then looked to Daryl, "Isn't that right? You want it now, huh?"

Daryl closed his eyes before he answered. "Yeah."

A half-second later, the door swished open, and a man in white scrubs came in with keys dangling from his fingers. Rick and Shane stayed plastered to Daryl's sides, practically growling at the man, as he bent down to unclasp both of Daryl's wrists. As soon as he'd accomplished his task, he fled the room, with Rick and Shane hot on his trail. And as Daryl lay there in shock, slowly pulling his wrists back towards his chest, he realized belatedly that they were protecting him. It made him shiver just as well as it made his chest swell with warmth.

Daryl slowly curled his sore body upright, and not halfway there, Rick and Shane were at his sides again. He leaned into them heavily, and allowed them to herd him over to the bed and seat him securely between their bodies. In front of him, Rick ghosted a hand over his cheek, then took both his wrists in hand and rubbed them gently. Behind him, Daryl felt Shane's hands go to his shoulders, and begin to slowly work away the tension.

"You still don't have to do this," Shane whispered into his ear, "We could fight our way out. Try, at least."

"I want to," Daryl answered honestly. His eyes fell to his lap as he admitted, "Didn't know it could be like that."

"What did you think it would be like?" Rick asked.

"Thought it would hurt," Daryl replied.

Shane mmm'd something low and unhappy sounding against Daryl's shoulder.

"It can," Rick explained, "But only if you aren't prepared. And we're not going to let that happen."

Rick's hands slid down to Daryl's thighs, and the younger Dixon surprised himself with how unashamed he felt, naked and still hard in front of these two men.

"Just wish we didn't have to do this here," Shane said, "Wish we could take you home with us, do it right."

"Still gonna be right," Rick said, "The three of us...it's right. I know it is. And we'll have lots of chances to take our time together after today, won't we Daryl?"

Daryl swallowed hard, then nodded. A voice in the back of his head was still hissing that this was too good to be true, that Rick and Shane would come to their senses real quick once they woke up free and away from this place, with some useless hick like him in their bed. But he'd entertain the fantasy for now. The future where he'd be with them both, where they'd take care of him the way they had been for hours now, and tell him he was wanted.

Shane's hands stilled on Daryl's shoulders, then moved to circle his waist lightly.

"Better?" he murmured.

"Yeah," Daryl said, "Don't hurt much now, at all."

"It's not gonna start," Rick promised. He fingered over Daryl's inner thighs. "Tell me again that you're sure."

"M'sure," Daryl said, promised. "Want you both. Please."

Rick didn't disappoint. With a finger slick from lube that sat on the table by the bed, Rick inched one finger back inside Daryl while the other man leaned back into Shane's chest. Daryl's face scrunched up, briefly, but then he relaxed into it with a soft groan.

"There you go," Shane murmured, "You like the way it feels?"

"Yeah," Daryl said, "I like it. Need more."

He felt Rick trace a second finger around his rim, testing without pressing in fully. Daryl shuddered in Shane's arms, only to be soothed by Shane's mouth on his neck. Then, there were two fingers inside of him, scissoring slowly and seeming to purposefully avoid the spot that had sent Daryl careening into orgasm earlier.

"You're so tight," Rick said breathlessly, "So hot inside. Christ, Daryl."

Daryl shivered violently, felt Shane graze his teeth over the column of his neck. Finally, Rick crooked his fingers, and Daryl whimpered helplessly.

"Oh god," Daryl moaned, "What- what is that- what- ?"

Neither Rick nor Shane answered him. Instead, Rick's lips met Daryl's while Shane's sucked at his shoulder. Three fingers, and Daryl was fucking himself down onto Rick's hands. It was overwhelming, those startling waves of pleasure rocking through his body like vibrations from a train rushing past. And Daryl knew part of it was the drugs- figured it must be, that nothing could feel like this naturally- but that didn't make it any less intense. It didn't make him want it to stop. Not one fucking bit.

Daryl's cock twitched again, leaking precum down his stomach in a lazy river.

"Fuck me," he moaned, "Please, please do it now. I want you both. I want you, I swear."

"Shh, we're gonna give it to you," Shane whispered. And Daryl was being manhandled again, lifted by Shane's hands until he was hovering right over Rick's lap. He couldn't breathe properly, knew what was coming next. He prayed they wouldn't ask him again, because Daryl wasn't sure he could make any coherent words happen with his mind so mucked up with want.

They didn't ask. One sharp breath, and Rick was sliding into him slowly, rubbing circles on his waist as he guided the trembling man down and holding his gaze with those piercing blue eyes. When he was finally settled, the pounding of his heart nearly overpowered the harsh sound of Rick panting against his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked, sounding wrecked himself. Daryl felt a small spark of pride curl around his spine at that. "Am I hurting you? Daryl-"

"It doesn't hurt," Daryl assured him, which was true. It didn't hurt outright. Burned slightly, the way any muscle did when you put it to use for the first time, but didn't hurt. He realized with a rush of delirious lust that he could feel Rick's pulse through him, and feel the searing heat of Rick inside him. Shane's fingers slid down underneath Daryl's thighs, Rick's tightened at his hips, and then Daryl was moving.

They started slowly, guiding him into an easy, shallow rhythm that still had him gasping out a litany of curses. The pressure against that spot inside him made Daryl's toes curl, and he felt out of control of his body, with Rick and Shane working together to fuck him down on Rick's cock like the three of them had been carved out by the Gods for this very purpose.

Daryl's pulse was racing, and he could barely hear Rick crooning to him.

"You're perfect. You're perfect for us, Daryl. So fucking perfect."

But barely hearing it was more than enough. Reanimating all at once, Daryl grabbed Rick by the shoulders and pushed himself down hard. Then he did it again, and again, and again, until he was bouncing on Rick's cock and arching his back with a wail that bounced off the walls as he came for a third time.

He clamped down hard around Rick's length, body shaking uncontrollably, and felt Rick release deep inside of him with a moan of his name. Daryl was boneless, shattered. But the heat hadn't dissipated. Faded, maybe, but it still lingered under his skin, taunting him.

"Shane," Daryl whimpered, "S'not enough. Need you too. Need you…"

He didn't need to beg. Shane was already swiveling Daryl's body until they were facing, and pulling the trembling man onto his lap, then down, down, onto his rock-hard length.

"Oh my God," Daryl groaned. Shane wrapped his arms around him, holding still to kiss Daryl thoroughly. He licked his way into Daryl's mouth, skimmed his palms up and down Daryl's back, and didn't stop until the younger Dixon's shivering had downgraded into intermittent tremors.

"You feel fucking incredible," Shane growled against him. "Could stay inside you forever." He pulled Daryl's lower lip out from between his teeth, and thumbed over it. "Wanna try something a little different, darlin'? It'll feel just as good. Better, even. I promise."

"A-alright," Daryl managed to croak. And then Shane was lifting him up, swiveling him around until he was facing Rick instead, and helping him to slowly settle back onto his cock.

Daryl's arms shook minutely as he tried to hold himself up, but Shane just curled himself all the way around him, taking Daryl by either arm and folding them against his stomach.

"You can put your weight on me," Shane murmured, "Go on, now. Let us take care of you like we promised."

So Daryl did. He sunk fully into Shane's chest, head lolling against the larger man's shoulder, and watched him slide his hands across his hip bones greedily. Rick moved onto his stomach, in between Daryl and Shane's thighs, just as Shane began to slowly rock up into him. Not the hard, desperate thrusts that Rick had dealt, but something leisurely and attentive.

"There you go," Shane whispered into his ear, making Daryl shiver, "You're so good, Daryl. Fuck."

The heat inside Daryl was starting to fade into something manageable, leisurely even, like the slow space of almost consciousness in early morning. Rick nuzzled his face against the inside of Daryl's thigh, a gesture of affection just as much as it was a question. Feeling daring, Daryl reached down and ran the tips of his fingers across Rick's cheek.

"Please," Daryl whispered, for maybe the dozenth time. But now, it felt more like a soothing nothing than a desperate plea. Rick and Shane would give him what he wanted- that he was sure of. And God, Daryl wanted more.

Rick took Daryl into his mouth, and Daryl's body gave way, melting into the sensation of Rick's hot tongue around him and Shane's thick length inside of him. It was more than Daryl had ever felt at once, more pleasure, pressure, contact. He shuddered in place and reached back to thread his fingers in Shane's hair, let his other hand come down to pet roughly at the side of Rick's face.

It built steadily. Daryl would thrust his hips forward into Rick's sweet mouth, then push backwards as Shane bucked up into him, and shudder at the bliss every small movement would bring. Every breath came out stuttering and harsh.

"Almost there, huh?" Shane whispered against Daryl's shoulder.

"Yeah," Daryl whimpered, "Jesus...m'close."

"Give us one more, then," Shane said, "One more, sweetheart. Let us keep you…"

When Daryl would look back on it, weeks later, it was those words that had set him off. His back arched, fingers tightened almost painfully in Rick and Shane's hair. And with a beautifully soft moan, Daryl was pouring himself down Rick's throat, clenching around Shane again and again, until he thought the loop of sensation might kill him.

"Fuck," Daryl groaned, "Jesus fucking Christ, I, ah-"

He felt Shane grow thicker and stiffer inside him, and his hips jerked sharply once, twice, before Shane followed Daryl over the edge with a strangled groan.

It took a long while for the three of them to catch their breath. As their heartbeats slowed, Shane and Rick never stopped touching Daryl. Soft kisses to his chest, fingertips grazing gently down his sides. That burning, all-encompassing, fuck and fuck now feeling was gone, dissipated with the last time his body had convulsed into orgasm. Now, it felt like his mind was floating. More intense than those first blissful sips of whiskey, but without the comedown.

Daryl wasn't sure how much time had gone by before Shane and Rick were crawling up to encapsulate him with their arms.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked him.

"Mmm," Daryl hummed, trying to get his tongue to cooperate, "M'good." He blinked his eyes open fully. "What happens now?"

"Whatever you want to happen," Shane assured him.

"They'll let us leave?"

"They will," Rick promised, "Already got what they want, anyways. But we should talk about what you want to do."

"I wanna leave this place and never come back," Daryl said.

"And then what?"

Daryl hesitated, and watched Rick and Shane share another look that spoke volumes.

"You know we want you with us, don't you?" Rick asked gently.

More silence, so Shane added, "You're meant to be with us, Daryl. You are. Not just because they said so, but because it's real, you know? You have to see it. Have to feel it too."

"I…"

"You don't have to do anything," Rick reminded him, "But we want you with us. It's where you're supposed to be, I know it."

Daryl nodded to himself. He looked to Shane, "So what you said before…you really wanna... keep me?"

"Yes," Shane said.

He looked to Rick next. "And you're sure? I just...don't wanna mess up whatever you guys had. And I'm not really…"

"I'm sure," Rick interjected. "You're everything we want, Daryl. I promise you that."

Daryl took a deep breath, and let his eyes fall shut. It was hard to deny that he believed them. Daryl felt his lips curl into a smile. "Then, can we go home now? Don't know about the two of y'all but I could use a fuckin' shower."


End file.
